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Transcript of The Red Panda

THE RED PANDA! HABITAT The Red Panda lives in forest mountain terrians. The most exact location we know where they live is in the bamboo forests in the Himalayan mountains in western china. The Reds live around an elevation of 2,000-5,000 meters high! The higher the better! The panda also likes cool weather and moist air, that's why the high moutains are perfect! To make its shelter, the Red Panda will find hollow trees to make its home out of, also small dens. Reds also have became exinct in four of Chinas provinces that they used to live in. EVOLUTIONARYHISTORY! The Red Panda is known to be related to the Giant Panda, and is also considered a living fossil!Their common ancestor can be traced back to the early Tertiary Period! ! The Red Panda is known to be related to the Giant Panda, which is a bear, right? Maybe! The Giant Panda is possibly more related to rodents, such as raccoons, which makes the Red Panda a relative to our everyday raccoons in our neighborhood! I mean, it also looks more like one than a bear, right? There are two extant subspecies: The Western Red Panda, lives in the western part of its range, and Styan’s Red Panda, which lives in the east-northeastern part of its range. A river called the Brahmaputra river is known to be a natural division between the two subspecies. The Red Panda is most active at dawn or dusk, as it is nocturnal. They usually live alone, but sometimes in small family groups, or pairs. When a Red is climbing a tree, it uses its tail to keep balance. Like a cat! When a Red Panda is walking, glands on their feet automatically mark the terrirory, that's what i thought was cool! To communicate, they will use a series of whistles or squeaks. When a Red is angry, they stand on their hind legs and make a spitting hissing noise. Also like a cat! If a predator will threaten them, they will scurry up a tree, or strike out their retractable claws! Who knew these cute little animals would have that kind of weapon? Not me for sure! BEHAVIOR AND COMMUNICATION DIET! The Red Pandas diet is mostly of bamboo, because it lives in a bamboo forest! Apart from others of its species, the only other animals that eat bamboo are: a small lemur in Madagascar, and two types of bamboo rats that live in Brazil and China.The Red Panda does not have any special type of teeth, or digestive system, which makes the bamboo is difficult to eat, and even harder to digest. From this diet, the animal can lose up to 15% of his/her weight. The Red Panda spends 13 hours of its waking time foraging for and feeding on its favorite type of food. Unlike the Giant Panda which eats almost all the bamboo, the Red Panda only chooses the most tender of the young roots and leaves, and chews thoroughly, in order to increase its digestibility. The Red Panda will also occasionaly eat insects, bird eggs, and small rodents. BREEDING AND REPRODUCTION! The mating season for Reds is from January to March.The males (like many other animal species) will fight over the females during this time period. When two males meet, they will stand on their hind legs and beat each other with their paws. Right before birth, the females will make nests in tree hallows or a rock cleft with grass. The gestation period is 90 to 150 days; the pups will be born around May or June. Between one to four pups are born, they are all blind, but completely covered with fur! In 18 more days, their eyes will open to their new world! In 90 more days, they will leave the nest for the first time! In one more year, they will leave, right when another liter is born. The mating seasons for Reds is from January to March. The males (like many other animal species) will fight over the females during this time period. When two males meet, they will stand on their hind legs and beat each other with their paws. Right before birth, the females will make nests in tree hallows or a rock cleft with grass. The gestation period is 90 to 150 days; the pups will be born around May or June. Between one to four pups are born, they are all blind, but completely covered with fur! In 18 more days, their eyes will open to their new world! In 90 more days, they will leave the nest for the first time! In one more year, they will leave, right when another liter is born. They can reproduce until 12 years of age. THE REDS ANCESTORS AND PROFILE! Some possIble RelatIves ARE: GRIZZLY BEAR Black bear Polar Bear Panda Bear Panda Bear THE REDS ProfILE The Red Panda can live up to 10 years in the wild, and up to 17 years in captivity. The head and body length is 510 mm to 635 mm. The shoulder height is 273 mm to 283 mm. The tail length is 280mm to 485 mm, almost as long as the body length! The Red Panda can weigh around 3 kg to 6.2 kg. They closely resemble a raccoon, and there is an argument weather they belong to the rodent family, or the bear family, the same argument about the Giant Panda. The Red Panda is a medium sized raccoon-like mammal, with a thick rusty to deep chestnut colored coat, with black underneath, or on their stomach. They have a head that is round with pointed ears and a fox-like face. The tail is long and bushy with broad brown and ginger rings. Like Giant Pandas, they have an extra “thumb” to assist in climbing and grasping bamboo. The claws are very sharp and partly retractable! The broad teeth and strong jaw muscles, have resulted in a relatively large head. RACCOON Bibliography! --->http://www.bearlife.org/red-panda.html--->http://www.buzzle.com/articles/red-panda.html--->http://www.redpandalearningzone.com/red-panda-behavior.php---> http://www.animalinfo.org/species/carnivor/ailufulg.htm